Green motion reworked

Brockville Coun. Cameron Wales introduces his motion declaring a healthy environment to be a right at council's planning and operations committee meeting in April. (FILE PHOTO)Ronald Zajac / Ronald Zajac/The Recorder and Times

Dr. Paula Stewart, medical officer of health for the tri-county region, is to address Brockville council’s planning and operations committee on Tuesday afternoon in support of a reworked motion calling for the right to a healthy environment.

Stewart, of the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, is to appear before the committee as a delegation.

The latest pitch follows council’s defeat last month of a motion by rookie Coun. Cameron Wales calling on the city to declare the “right to a healthy environment.”

Council members, wary of the initial motion’s association with the David Suzuki Foundation’s “Blue Dot” movement. wanted a “made-in-Brockville” declaration instead.

The initial council motion accompanying the declaration called on city staff to inform the Blue Dot movement of Brockville’s decision, “so that the City of Brockville will be added to the list of Canadian municipalities that have adopted similar declarations.”

That language is now gone.

The revised declaration, meanwhile, adds references to the city’s 2012 official plan as already outlining a healthy environment as “a policy priority.”

The declaration still refers to people in Brockville being able to: Breathe clean air; drink and have access to clean water; eat safe and healthy food; have access to nature; know about pollutants and contaminants released into the local environment; and participate in decision-making that will affect the environment.

But these are no longer explicitly referred to as a “right” in the language.

Similarly, a clause stating the city “has certain authority to respect, protect, fulfill and promote these rights” has been removed. It is replaced by a clause stating: “Within its jurisdiction, the City of Brockville council and City of Brockville staff will consider the above principles in all relevant decision-making.”

The revised motion still commits city officials to report back by Nov. 26, but is less prescriptive in some places. However, it calls on council to measure the city’s progress every two years, rather than four.

Previous language calling on the city to inform the provincial and federal governments of its declaration has been removed.